I woke up in the hospital, feeling weak and my mind filled with worry. Ricky, my boyfriend of five years, wasn't by my side. For the past two days, I've been waiting for news from him, but nothing came.

When I finally mustered the courage to open the office group chat, my heart pounded. All the attention seemed to be on Christine, the new employee who had caught Ricky's eye.

With a mix of curiosity and anxiety, I opened the flood of messages. Christine had posted a photo of herself wearing an elegant white gold bracelet that I knew all too well—it was a gift from Ricky as an apology for his disastrous birthday party.

My heart felt like it was being torn apart as I read the compliments pouring in for her. It was as if everyone had forgotten about me. For five months, I had been patient, no longer showing my true feelings about how much I disliked Ricky spending so much time with Christine. I tried to be more mature, less tantrum-prone, hoping Ricky would notice this new side of me.

Ricky never actually said our relationship was over. But his actions made me feel like he no longer wanted me.

Then, a message from Ricky popped up, inviting me to dinner at a restaurant. At first, I felt happy, thinking it was a sincere apology. But as I read the next part, my heart shattered. He wanted me to come and apologize to Christine for what happened at her birthday party.

Should I apologize because my boyfriend, Ricky, forced me to eat chocolate cake? He knows I'm allergic to chocolate! What's even more heartbreaking is that Ricky did it just to impress Christine, so she feels like everyone likes her!

"Are you serious, Ricky? Christine again?" I yelled in frustration, feeling trapped in an unfair game. The pain deepened, as if Ricky cared more about Christine's feelings than my own safety.

A nurse walked in, startled by my outburst. She asked if I was okay, and I could only manage an awkward smile. After making sure I was fine, she handed me the discharge papers. Ricky should have handled all this, not me.

When I finally got home to my apartment, my hope of seeing Ricky waiting for me at the door vanished. Loneliness wrapped around me, just like it had for the past five months. Tears started to flow again, but the ringing phone broke the silence.

With trembling hands, I saw my mom's name on the screen. "What now?" I thought, feeling exhausted by it all.

I answered the call, and my mom's voice asking how I was doing came through.

"Yes, Mom, I'm okay," I lied. I swallowed my tears and forced myself to sound fine. It was tough, but it was for my pride. I hadn't complained about myself since deciding to be with Ricky five years ago.

It wasn't easy for someone like me, who used to overshare with my parents, to suddenly switch to being closed off. It all started when I turned 22 and still had no thoughts about marriage or having a boyfriend.

My parents had me at quite an old age after a long struggle and couldn't have any more children. They longed for grandchildren, and maybe they just didn't want to be lonely in their twilight years.

Meanwhile, I still felt too young to get married and rejected the idea. I even decided to leave home and start living independently with my savings.

Back then, all I wanted was to try my luck, to break free from the cage that had sheltered me from the harsh world. Little did I know that choosing to live independently would bring so many surprises and reveal that the world outside the cage wasn't as beautiful as it seemed from within.

Even the man I chose didn't care about me.

"So? What about Theo? He’s been waiting for you for so long. You've been gone for seven years and haven't said a word about any marriage plans," Mom said.

I knew Mom was taking a jab at Ricky and our five-year relationship showed no signs of heading towards marriage. Without thinking, I said, "Alright, Mom. Just arrange it for me, I'll accept whatever you think is best." Then I ended the call.

"Arrange what? Are you talking about marriage?" Ricky suddenly appeared from behind, his expression hard and displeased.

"My mom said she's going to arrange a marriage for me," I replied nervously. Half of me still hoped Ricky would have a good reaction.

Ricky laughed. "We're not ready for that. By the way, I need to borrow some tools. Christine needs me to fix the wiring in her apartment."

Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed. As usual, Ricky avoided the topic of marriage. He even tended to dismiss it and change the subject to something else.

I pointed to the box where the tools were kept, and before Ricky left, I couldn't help but ask, "Will you be home tonight? I have something to tell you."

Ricky frowned, a sign of his displeasure. "I can't promise that." Then he just walked out.

Ricky never used to be like this. He would always make time, no matter how busy he was, just to listen to my not-so-important stories.

"I was planning to tell you that I'm getting married," I muttered to the empty air.

“Are you sure you're moving?" Uncle Roland asked as I handed over my mom's belongings and a few items I wouldn't be taking with me before the move.

I nodded, signaling to the moving crew that had helped me with the many items I was giving to Uncle Roland. Suddenly, Ricky appeared with Christine. His arms were full of typical moving-day stuff.

Before I could say anything, Ricky quickly explained, "I'm just helping Christine move from her old place. It's too far from our office, don't get the wrong idea."

Christine nodded quickly, putting on an innocent face and glancing at Ricky with a fearful expression. I knew she was just pretending, so I simply nodded without changing the flat expression on my face.

Ricky looked relieved that I didn't seem to misunderstand, then he invited Christine to take the elevator first since their stuff was much less than mine.

"Hey, Uncle Roland. So glad to have you here. Christine will definitely be safer with you around," Ricky greeted, just noticing Uncle Roland behind me.

Once they were out of sight, Uncle Roland and I both took a deep breath. "Who said I’d look after that tramp even if she lives next door?" he grumbled, annoyed.

I chuckled dryly. At least I had Uncle Roland on my side. He knows everything about me but is wise enough not to spill anything to my parents.

"Are you sure about your decision to move? Do you need me to warn Ricky to stay away from that woman?" Uncle Roland asked seriously.

I nodded firmly. "And what about the wedding? You don’t have to force yourself if you don’t want to get married. You can just leave Ricky," Uncle Roland added.

I shook my head. Five years isn't a short time, but it wasn't long enough to make Ricky choose me over other women.

When Ricky completely ignored me after feeding me chocolate with his own hand, I started to realize my life was too valuable to waste on him.

Uncle Roland hugged me one last time before I handed the moving crew over to him. Meanwhile, I went back to my apartment, packed my things, and called Ricky to say goodbye in person.

Strangely, none of my calls or messages were answered. I switched to the group chat, which suddenly blew up again like the day I came back from the hospital.

Only to find photos of a girly-themed bedroom, with Ricky busy putting up fairy lights on the wall. His phone was just lying on the bed. He looked happy, just as happy as Christine's caption.

[Moved to a new city and got help from my boss for my first move. Never felt this lucky. The best boss ever!]

This time, disappointment took over me more than anger. For the last time, I dialed Ricky’s number.

“Can’t you be patient? It takes a lot of effort here, and I hope you understand that I won’t be coming home tonight. Just go to sleep,” Ricky said without giving me a chance to speak. As I was about to respond, the call ended.

I didn’t give up and called Ricky again. This time, Christine’s soft voice answered. “Ricky is getting the delivery food at the front. Can you not bother us? Don’t worry, we’re just tidying up the room together.”

Just like Ricky, Christine hung up right after speaking. This time, I had no desire to try again. Where else would Ricky spend the night if not at Christine’s place?

The next morning, Ricky came to my apartment while I was still asleep. He didn’t care that I had just fallen asleep at 5 AM and told me to get ready for lunch with him at a restaurant he had reserved.

Half-asleep and groggy, I got ready. Imagine my shock when I found Christine already sitting in the front seat. I froze, staring at my throne with a blank look, but Christine didn’t seem like she was going to move.

Instead, she looked at Ricky with a pleading gaze. Ricky glanced at me impatiently and opened the back door for me.

“Don’t look at Christine like that. This morning she accidentally spilled hot water on her thigh and it’s uncomfortable for her to sit in the wide back seat. Grow up, Jemima!” Ricky scolded me.

Too stunned to react, I just sat quietly in the back seat. My brain was busy trying to figure out how sitting in a wide back seat could be uncomfortable when you’ve spilled hot water on yourself.

I glanced forward and was shocked to see a large burn on Christine’s thigh. With a burn that big, why was she still forcing herself to come to lunch?

"Thanks for inviting me to lunch. You didn't have to do this, Jemima. You didn't mean to ruin my birthday party, did you?” Christine said, as if she could read my mind.

I glanced at Ricky, who looked like he was the one being praised. If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have come.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the restaurant. I felt like a third wheel because Ricky was taking care of Christine the same way he used to take care of me.

Not once did Ricky pay attention to me throughout the lunch. He was busy helping and pampering the fragile Christine. And when lunch was over, Ricky just left me in front of the restaurant, saying he had to take Christine to the hospital.

"Grow up a bit, I have nothing going on with Christine. She needs me now," Ricky scolded me before leaving me in the restaurant's parking lot.

Did Ricky think I didn't need him? And what was with all the scolding? I didn't even get a chance to say a word before being suddenly reprimanded like this!

Ricky's behavior only solidified my decision to end our relationship. I had hoped we could talk face-to-face this time, but Christine was always in the way.

Or maybe I was the one standing in the way of those two?

Uncle Roland and I were busy sorting out the things I would take to my parents' house. It didn't take long since I didn't have much left after giving most of it to Uncle Roland.

I decided to check my phone while taking a break from packing. Secretly, I still hoped Ricky would reach out first, but that hope faded. Instead, there were 99+ group chats. I had handed in my resignation letter yesterday, so were they buzzing because of that?

Unfortunately, the sweet surprise I hoped for didn't come true. Christine posted a bunch of photos stuck on her bedroom wall, under a string of aesthetic fairy lights. They were photos of Ricky, and some of them were of the two of them together, taken on various occasions.

[Never felt this happy having such a kind and caring boss.]

That caption made no sense at all. Then it was followed by a photo of a man’s and a woman’s feet against the white hospital floor. [My boss took me to the hospital, even though I could go by myself].

I rolled my eyes. So this is what you want, Ricky? After being with me for five years, did you get bored? Then why not just end this boring relationship?

It started with that white gold bracelet, then all the attention focused only on Christine. The white gold bracelet was a custom piece Ricky ordered just for me, part of a set with a necklace and ring. He hadn’t had the chance to give me the jewelry set, even though it was ready three months ago.

And Ricky had already given the bracelet to Christine. Maybe not just the bracelet, but also the ring, the necklace, and his heart. So what’s left for me?

I turned my face away, trying to hold back my tears. By chance, I saw Uncle Roland pulling a large box out of my closet.

It was a box filled with memories from my five years with Ricky. It contained photo albums that Ricky claimed held 9,999 photos of our time together. He stopped adding to it last year because the final photo, which would mark the end and beginning of a new chapter in our lives, was supposed to be our wedding photo.

Now, Ricky was piling up new photos with someone new. So what did all this mean? Forget planning a wedding, every time I brought up the topic, Ricky would avoid it or glare at me.

Sensing the heavy and awkward atmosphere, Uncle Roland excused himself and asked me to call him whenever I needed. After he left, I sat in the same spot for a while, my mind exhausted from figuring out how to end my emotional suffering.

As night approached, I decided to truly focus on my decision to marry the man my parents chose for me. It had to start with me, by erasing one by one the memories with Ricky.

I filled the box with photo albums and all the things Ricky had given me since we started dating. Then I took it to the backyard of my apartment and burned them one by one in a metal drum.

“Jemima! Oh my God, I’ve been looking for you everywhere! What are you doing playing with fire on a windy day like this?”

The shout startled me, along with a hug from behind. I smelled the musk and citrus cologne Ricky always wore, so I knew it was him. But I no longer felt peace when Ricky hugged me, especially when I also smelled a floral perfume on his clothes that wasn’t mine.

It was the scent Christine usually wore. A soft floral aroma that matched the image of the pure Virgin Mary. Hiding my disgust, I pushed Ricky’s chest away. Ricky looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze. After realizing I was calm, he shifted his gaze to the metal drum with the still-burning fire.

I casually tossed the last photo album into the fire, watching Ricky's reaction. Sure enough, a few seconds after realizing what I had thrown, Ricky quickly tried to save it.

"Termites were eating those albums. I wasn't careful storing them," I said without helping Ricky. I knew he could handle it himself.

Ricky pulled his hand from the fire without injuring it. "What a shame. You should have waited for me to deal with the termites instead of burning them right away," Ricky muttered sadly, watching the album pages slowly turn to ash.

"Are you still mad at me? I already told you that you need to fix your attitude. There's nothing going on between me and Christine. Why didn't you go to the office today?" Ricky asked, hitting me right in the heart.

I slowly walked back to my apartment on the third floor. Ricky followed behind me. "I sent my resignation email two days ago," I replied calmly.

"Why are you acting like this? Grow up, Jemima! How could you just resign without any notice? Who's going to do your work?" Ricky shouted as we almost reached the ground floor.

Realizing this conversation would take a while, I pulled Ricky to the quieter side garden and spoke.

"First, you have Christine, who’s been taking over all my work lately. Second, I have the right to resign whenever I want!" I snapped. Ricky looked at me in disbelief.

"You're jealous! I've told you countless times there's nothing between me and Christine! Do you know the office is a mess because there's no one to assist me? Christine is out because of her burn, and you choose to quit?" Ricky retorted, unwilling to back down.

I scoffed. From what I saw in the group chat earlier today, Christine didn't look like someone who needed bed rest at all.

"Whatever, Ricky. I don't care about your relationship, the office, or you. I'm tired of you always accusing me of being immature or demanding that I grow up.

Have you ever noticed how hard I've tried? Do you realize how long you've been ignoring me for someone else?" I said, my voice choking.

Ricky looked at me, puzzled.

"I'm done, Ricky. It's up to you now. Do whatever you want, and don't ever involve me again!"